Starry Night
by SeductiveNoodleBot
Summary: Uzumaki Naruko is a lonely girl, doing her best to get by. Can a mysterious woman give her life meaning?
1. Chapter 1

Uzumaki Naruko was a complicated creature, whose subtle nuances were known to none. Not even herself. Of course, being a container for a massive chakra monster that could accidentally wipe out a continent trying to chase it's tails did not _quite_ help her circumstance. Her upbringing only served to amplify her turbulence, and stifled her potential.

Growing up in harsh isolation, the girl was extremely shy; yet constantly yearning for validation. Her physical stature, didn't help her chances. She was easily taller than most men twice her age, and _much_ stronger. The dirty blonde hair and whisker marks? Only added to her oddness. She was a black sheep in a white flock.

So when she was given the opportunity to take part in the Chunin exams, she thought of it as a way to fit in. To be accepted.

That same thought fueled her through fighting Kiri-nins who eclipsed her in both skill and experience, written tests, sticking her neck out to save her teammate from a snake-obsessed gender-confused pedophile (which in retrospect, was a bad plan), and now, she hoped it would carry her through whatever obstacle would cross her next.

That's at least what was running through the blonde's mind when she hoisted her own personal unconscious, exhausted, idiot Uchiha over her shoulder. Her unused arm was weakly clutching a kunai, despite being covered in blood soaked bandages. Oh yeah. That was another thing. Blood was _everywhere_.

Her olive green tank sported dark, crimson blotches. Her hair was patched together with hardened blood. Her face didn't come out unscathed either, sporting streaks and scratches.

At this point, she didn't even know how much was hers.

"Sakura, did you lose our scroll?" the blonde murmured.

The pink-head nodded through weary eyes.

"Great. _Just_ great." The Uzumaki chuckled. "You had _only_ one task and at that, you failed." she whispered loud enough, only to be heard by herself.

Her teammates, in her mind, _sucked_. Sakura had a rose-tinted glass view of the shinobi world. Her scuffle in the Wave, Naruko could only hope, opened her eyes, even a tiny bit. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sakura appearing frazzled by her contact with the Uchiha slung over her shoulder.

On the subject of the Uchiha? He had no life outside of his brother. She would sooner trust Sakura to not stab her in the back.

' _And yet you still tried to save him'_ a treacherous voice in the back of her mind whispered. She banished it as soon as it came.

"Would you mind looking after him? I'll see if I can find anyone with a scroll." The girl lit up.

Naruko sped off in no particular direction, sending clones out anywhere she could.

Multiple thoughts of failure crossed her mind. Because ultimately, it was down to her whether their team passed or failed. Which, in retrospect, she figured was a common theme. Her teammates were all for the praise and glory, but wouldn't get their hands dirty.

And the worst part was, if things _did_ go south, it was her head on the chopping block.

" _Why didn't_ she _help out_?"

" _I bet she didn't even lift a finger."_  
 _"She's nothing but a d-"_

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she found a genin team from Ame, who looked like fairly easy pickings. Normally, she'd go for someone who would give her a challenge, as in her ideal world; the harder the fight, the greater the validation.

She silently made two clones, to ambush the genin squad below her, while her mind drifted once more.

" _What if I had someone who would look out for me_." Parents. Relatives. A friend. A lover. The list went on.

She watched as each one of the team members went down, each of them were concerned for their comrades.

It was beautiful, in sad sort of way. That's what a team should be like. It was unfair, that they should fail and she would pass, when they were more worthy. She felt jealous. She felt guilty.

She hastily made her way back to her _team_ , while silently hoping that the Ame squad made it out safe. The exams were lethal and, if she could, she'd like to make it out with a minimal body-count.

She was just a sucker like that.

Arriving back where she had left, she found Sakura with a soft smile on her face. And she saw the Uchiha now in pristine condition. His _hair_ was even fluffed into place.

Naruko gritted her teeth. For some reason, the act made her blood boil.

"We're moving." she made her presence known, yanking the Uchiha from his fallen position, a little harsher than necessary.

The Haruno girl was upset, seeing her time and effort spent grooming the Uchiha swept away. She glared daggers into the back of Naruko's head.

Eventually, Naruko realized she wasn't angry at the pink haired girl, who was now struggling to keep pace with her.

She was, once again, _jealous._ Like she was with the Ame squad, she was of the seemingly non-existent bond her other squadmates shared. To most people, it would have appeared to be fruitless. Girl loves boy, boy loves no one, nothing goes nowhere. Heck, she figured even Kakashi thought that. To her, the connection they shared was beautiful.

Sasuke had someone who consistently fretted over him, constantly worried about him, and was unwaveringly loyal to _him_. And he didn't even acknowledge her.

Sakura's admiration, and devotion to him was simply completely out of Naruko's realm of comprehension. She would have respected her faithfulness, if it weren't interfering with their line of work. To Naruko, food was one of the most important things; it kept you alive, and she personally never had much of it, being an orphan. She valued food like few others did. And her teammate actively starved herself for her unrequited love. Naruko didn't understand.

The only thing they had in common, was their shared ignorance of their third team member. Her.

And every day, her heart broke just a little bit more.

The members of Team 7 strolled into the compound at the heart of the forest.

Opening their scrolls, they found Iruka, who was the first person she knew to be somewhat glad to see her.

Their bond, however, was fleeting. Despite how much Naruko hated that.

Ultimately she knew, that there would always be another student, who would take her place in the teachers heart. A student who reminded the kind man of himself, more than she. Eventually, her memory would fade. And she would be on her own, once again.

That was her life in a nutshell.

That night, she climbed to the roof and gazed at the stars, till she fell asleep on her knees, like she had done countless times before. The stars, she imagined to feel like a hug, from the vast ocean of infinity. She had the mind of an artist. It came naturally; keeping her mind away from dwelling on the loneliness she felt. She spent her days seeking, recognizing, or creating beauty.

If she weren't coerced into becoming a shinobi, she figured that's what she would have done. Spend the rest of her life travelling under the skies as a painter. She figured that the despair of loneliness wouldn't phase her, when she was isolated because of her environment, not because of societal ostracization. She figured she would live out her days becoming art herself, turning her anguish into beauty, and then fade into the wind like a ghost.

But the reality was she would never be able to. Yet another dream the village she was tasked to protect had stolen from her. She chuckled mirthlessly.

She was dreaming, and she knew it. She loved and hated her dreams, as they always tended to show her exactly what she yearned for, yet kept it eternally out of her reach. She dreamt of herself, walking into a modest, cozy tent, as the last of the evening sun glowed around her.

She opened the flap, and felt a warm pair of arms wrap around her.

And then…

"Oh! Hello! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

She was woken up.

Normally, she'd be fine with being stirred from her slumber. But this time…she was _considerably_ less fine.

She looked to the source of the voice, fully intent on venting some of her frustrations…

And then her words died in her throat.

She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't _still_ dreaming.

Standing on the balcony, was easily the most beautiful woman that the blonde could imagine to have ever existed, enveloped by the early light of the sun.

"I- um. Uh. It's fine. I w-wasn't. Well. I was planning to- um… not be asleep. Doing the waking people things. Not do the dreaming. Yes." She wanted to die, as she continued to incoherently stammer. She could only pray the woman didn't think of her as a loon.

The auburn haired woman merely let out a melodious laugh.

It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

"Aren't you adorable?" her face flushed violently red, while she fruitlessly tried to hide behind her knees. Her large figure, once again, did her no favors. "Should you not be with your team?" the woman inquired, her smile not once vanishing.

"I...uh. I think I would prefer to be separate from them right now. The forest...took a toll on me." She had no idea what she was saying. No idea why she was opening up to the strange woman.

"I see. The view is quite lovely up here." She said, gazing into the distance. The woman had rich, auburn hair, the flowed endlessly. She wore a dark azure dress that fluttered with wind that Naruko wasn't sure even existed. Her eyes were sea green and her _lips_...Naruko would have died a thousand times to feel them "And what would your name be?"

"Um. I'm...Naruko Uzumaki." Her already quiet voice died down to a whisper, as if she were ashamed. The woman noticed, and frowned slightly.

"A pleasure meeting you, Naruko. I think I've bothered you enough for now, so I'll be getting out of your hair." the woman said with another, dazzling smile as she turned to leave. Naruko just nodded dumbly, before her brain caught up with her.

"W-wait!" The woman halted. "Sorry, um. I just. I didn't get your name." she forced out, while jumping to her feet, inwardly cringing.

The woman noted the nearly apologetic tone in her voice.

"That would be because I never gave it, dear." Naruko flushed red again. "But, I doubt this is the last time we'll meet. Perhaps you will know it, next time around. Hopefully after you've had a bath." She laughed again, much to the the Uzumaki's embarrassment. Said girl, however, decided that hearing her laugh was worth an eon of humiliation.

The woman took a brief moment to once-over the now standing blonde.

Her arms were shyly tucked away, each with a death-grip on the other. Even so, it did not hide the strength they were imbued with. Other than that, she decided that the girl was built like a tiger. She was the balancing point of raw power, and untapped finesse, easily being taller than herself. Her dirty blonde hair was completely wild, barely contained by a small cord. She had the most _adorable_ whisker marks. All of the dirt and grime caked on her face did nothing to hide her innocence.

There was very little that was overtly feminine about the girl who stood before her; being a rather rough around the edges.

With her assessment complete and leaving her rather pleased, she turned and left the blonde to her thoughts.

Said blonde's thoughts were complete mush.

Unsurprisingly, they continued to be utter mush throughout the preliminaries. The only fight she had paid attention to was between Sabaku Gaara and Rock Lee, for which she nearly got disqualified from continuing. In an instant, she and Gai both interrupted the fight, when Gaara was nearly about to kill the budding taijutsu expert. An action for which, got her the sincere gratitude of the Gai.

She felt rather nice about that.

She was quite fond of Lee. He was the one Konoha genin she could relate with. He turned his painful failure into unprecedented dedication to taijutsu. His willpower was in her eyes, unmatchable. Every movement he made was brimming with his love for taijutsu. To her, any opponent he faced should have been honoured to battle one who fought as soulfully as Lee.

Unless, they were a ruthless, cold-blooded killer.

The matches all seemed to blur past her, until it was hers.

"Uzumaki Naruko vs Kankuro of the Sand."

Both combatants faced each other.

Kankuro had a smirk.

Naruko had a glare.

She was reasonably pissed, after the sand shinobi _dared_ to come to _her_ village, and hurt _her_ friend.

When the signal was given. She charged at the puppet user without even bothering to make clones, fully intent on crushing him.

The puppet wielder smirked as he sent blade after blade from his mobile arsenal.

The blond was able to dodge most of them, and ignored the one that did graze her upper arm.

She chased him around the area, with a wide array of kicks and punches, each of which had the capacity to cause immense damage.

The puppet wielder had yet to be touched however.

In the stands, the auburn haired woman watched the fight with amusement, and irritation.

Why was the Uzumaki so... _sloppy_?

She had expected so much more from a girl of her potential.

She watched as the blond got out of a position that she instinctively landed in, and changed into a stance that offered her no combative advantage. In fact, it actually weakened her structural integrity. A look at her face told her that Naruko herself was uncomfortable with the position she was in.

Then it clicked. And the woman's blood began to boil.

The sweet Uzumaki girl she favored, had been sabotaged from the very beginning. The girl was fighting against her own instincts, sticking only to what she _thought_ she was taught correctly. Her flaws weren't because she was lacking in talent, or attention. No, they were because she was _such_ a good student, that she forced herself to utilize a style that was intended to sabotage her.

The woman gritted her teeth in anger.

' _Why my poor little Naruko, how the Leaf has failed you.'_ she the thought to herself.

She watched as the Uzumaki got frustrated to the point where she simply sent out clones and ordered them to wildly smash at her foe.

And surprisingly, it worked.

A lucky shot saw to the puppetmaster being thrown into a wall, forming craters around him.

"Victor: Naruko Uzumaki!"

An awkward pause fell over the spectators, as they looked around the arena.

There were craters _everywhere_.

The Hokage, though slightly embarrassed by the girls poor skills, was mildly comforted since at the very least, she broadcasted the Leaf's strength in a very, _very_ obvious manner.

Said girl clenched her fists, which now were a bloody mess, as she walked up the stairs. Her bangs completely covered her eyes, since she was too ashamed to look at anyone.

In the stands, she hid in a small alcove, that allowed her to prop her head onto her knees, and tried extremely hard not to break down completely.

At least that _was_ her plan until she heard the same voice from the morning.

"Room for one more?" The woman said in a soft voice.

' _Oh god. How long was she here_? _Oh no. Did she see me_? _Good going blondie, you've probably disappointed her.'_ a million thoughts raced through her head, and none of them were comforting.

Ultimately, she scooched over, never once making eye contact with the ethereal woman.

"Mei." The woman said after a long pause. Naruko briefly considering leaving the comfort of her own arms to acknowledge what was said. "That's my name. Mei Terumi."

Naruko gave out a small, slightly bitter chuckle. A beautiful name, for a beautiful woman.

The woman, Mei, placed her arm around the younger girl's shoulder, not entirely surprised when the her entire body tensed up. She resisted the urge to sigh. She should have expected this.

The signs were all there. Her painful shyness, her social awkwardness, her burning desire to prove herself. The girl was an orphan, and presumably living in extreme isolation, with no one establishing any sort of contact with her.

"Are you okay, Naruko?" she asked, giving her best reassuring voice.

' _She...said my name.'_ Naruko didn't understand why that felt so strange, but it did. No one ever said her name quite like the woman had.

"I'm fine, Terumi-san."

"Please call me Mei. Terumi-san make me sound so old." Mei joked, trying to lighten the mood. The girl didn't budge.

' _Figures. It wasn't even a good joke.'_

"Are you disappointed in your performance, Naruko?"

A small, affirmative nod.

"That's good." she paused, feeling the girl tense again. "That means you have the desire to improve." she heard a sniffle.

"At least you tried your best."

And that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Mei couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty when the blonde girl besides her broke into quiet, harsh, sobbing, which she did her best to hide. She still tried to hold herself together

' _To hell with the offer, there's plenty of time for that later. This girl needs a hug.'_

Mei pulled the girl's shoulder, encountering a weak-willed attempt to resist her. It wasn't surprising to her. She figured that it was probably the first time Naruko ever was given a shoulder to cry on. That thought, infuriated her as much as the blonde's training.

She ran her hand over the girl's spine, instantly feeling her relax into her embrace.

Naruko wrapped her arms around Mei's waist, simultaneously trying to hide her face in the woman's armpit as she sobbed.

' _I've probably ruined her dress_ ' She didn't quite notice, until that moment, how nice of a color the woman wore. She found herself partial to bright colors; the ones that popped out and made her happy. Yet the soothing shade of azure that the mysterious woman wore was quickly becoming her favorite. The woman who offered her comfort when she was woman who had done more for her in a day, than her village had in 17 years.

Mei smiled when she felt the blonde wrapped her arms around her waist and clutch as if she was her sole anchor. It would be an awkward situation to explain to any passing by Leaf shinobi, but she didn't particularly care. Her opinion of the Leaf as of late had come crashing.

"Naruko?" a pause in the girl's hiccuping told her she was listening. "Look at me." Mei somewhat ordered. For some reason, she couldn't tire of gazing at the blonde's face. Something about it, despite its rough condition, reflected purity.

"Do you want to become strong?" she asked the puffy-eyed Uzumaki.

The girl nodded.

"Good. I will make you the strongest."

 _ **Yo. Whaddap. This is something I wrote like a while ago and forgot about so. Not super reflective of my writing as it stands now but eh. Tell me if y'all are interested.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Following the preliminaries, Naruko never saw Mei again. It felt like she was a conjured figment of her imagination. Worst yet, she felt abandoned, yet again. She was supposed to fight a Hyuuga, who were renowned for their impressive taijutsu, who so happened to have a grudge against her. All while she possessed little to no skills herself. Even the fight that decided whether or not she would continue to the finals, was in her favor only by luck.

Naruko was very worried.

The probability of losing face to her entire village _and then some_ , was reasonably high, and she was terrified.

She was practically ready to grovel at the feet of her sensei for help

"...Can you at least give me some pointers? Some jutsu scroll? _Anything_?" she looked at her sensei with sheer panic in her eyes.

"Unfortunately, I can't. I need to focus on training Sasuke for his fight with Gaara," her panic was almost replaced with fury. "However, I have arranged for someone to train you in my absence." her face brightened.

"Really? Who is it? Can you tell me? Or is it like some top-secret ex-ANBU guy? Ooh! Is it that woman?" The blonde fired off.

Kakashi sighed. His third student was always a bit of an oddball. Capricious, even. She was usually very reserved, bordering on nervous. Or, she was boisterous and loud. He, personally thought that it had something to do with the personalities of her parents battling for dominance inside her, however the reality was probably considerably less dramatic. He hated himself for not being a better guide for the young girl, despite acknowledging that he was a terrible role model. Truth was, he couldn't even train her if he wanted to, _and he did_. Apparently, some bright superior of his figured that he, as the last loyal sharingan bearer was to be the only guide for the last Uchiha. Which made sense. He just didn't have to like it.

"Yes, no, hmmm, maybe, definitely not, and wait- _what_?" Woman? What woman? He certainly didn't know of many kunoichi's willing to take Naruko under their wing. Perhaps it was Anko?

"That...woman? At the preliminaries?" his student asked with a puzzled expression.

"What did she look like?" Kakashi was concerned. Had someone approached one of _his_ students without him knowing?

"...I see. It's probably nothing. Seeya later sensei!" she tried to brush the confrontation off as quickly as possible.

"...She's hiding something. Damn." he cursed, as he watched his student vanish into the horizon. Knowing how easily her trust was broken, he let it slide. She was most likely...volatile, in the aftermath of her preliminary match.

Naruko was questioning her sanity. She threw herself on a bench in some obscure tree-filled training ground, and stared at her feet.

So, her sensei didn't ask Mei to speak to her. Then why did she? Why not a genin with more potential? She hated to think about it, but even Sakura would seem like a better candidate than her. She was smart. Or Hinata. She was budding Hyuuga. Or Tenten. She was a weapons prodigy.

All Naruko had was some strong punches, and a clone jutsu. Well. that and a couple-thousand year old chakra monster that she _did not_ ask for.

Either Mei found out what she... _contained_ , and ran off like everyone else...or she never existed in the first place. The Uzumaki could have just dreamt her up, and the vividness of her conjured imaginations was caused by how much she _desperately_ wanted them to be true.

"Great. The most beautiful woman I've ever met turned out to be my imaginary friend. Aren't I too old for this?" she clutched her head in anger.

"I hope you're not talking about me, are you?" the same, beautiful voice from the morning on the tower called out to the Uzumaki, who jolted out of her seat in surprise.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." And there was that smile.

Naruko's lip quivered. With a sad smile, she thought she figured it out.

"You're not real." she muttered in ghostly whisper. "I knew it was too good to be true."

The woman frowned, and mentally cursed herself. She should have figured that keeping the young girl at arm's length would be a mistake. Mei walked towards her slowly, intent on bridging the gap that the blonde was trying to create.

Naruko felt her hand being grabbed firmly, lifted till she was touching the older woman's face.

"Am I still not real, Naruko?"

Her skin was soft, like the purest silk. The warmth that radiated off the woman's face travelled up Naruko's arm. It made for an embarrassing situation, to Naruko. Telling people that you're firmly convinced they don't exist _generally_ didn't yield the best of reactions.

"W-where...were you?" Naruko whispered. Mei didn't answer. Thinking she didn't hear, Naruko raised her voice. "Where were you?"

This time, Mei visibly reacted. Bringing her eyes to look directly into the girl's stare. Mei was not ignorant. She heard the unasked question. ' _Did you abandon me_? _Like everyone else_?'

She felt her heart clench. Despite her appearances, Mei knew that the Uzumaki girl was just like any orphan, who grew up alone; scared, paranoid, and desperate for affection.

"If you must know, my...colleagues, ruined my travel plans, and I spent most of my time fixing their mess with your Hokage, and trying to familiarize myself with your village. It's a big place, after all." she answered with a small scowl. It _was_ the truth. She had told them off quite thoroughly, however. Firing them on the spot, in the Hokage's office, with a smile on her face. That was just how Mei rolled.

"'The most beautiful woman you've ever met,' Naruko?" the girl turned beet red. "Aren't you a charmer."

Naruko swore, every time she saw the woman's smile, every one of her worries got washed away. Everything about her, sent Naruko into raptures. Her laugh, her hair, her _eyes._ The girl swore she felt like she was drowning every time she looked into Mei's eyes.

"I trust you're well rested?" Mei asked with a glint in her eye.

"Yes Mei-san, I've always recuperated rather...quickly." The girl refused to make eye contact.

"Is that so? That will be _very_ useful in the future." the auburn-haired woman said.

At that, Naruko's mind shut down. Yes, she was a shy girl. Yes, she tended to keep to herself. However, she grew up in a rather rough area, was very curious, and she was a teenager. A teenager with raging hormones. So naturally, the young jinchuriki's mind went straight into the gutter, and her face only served to betray her. It was a lethal combination. She hoped that Mei didn't notice.

Mei noticed. ' _Well. Not taking this opportunity would be practically a sin.'_

"Oh Naruko, you naughty, naughty girl." a look of horror crossed the girl's face. "I should punish you for your wicked thoughts."

"In fact, I think we should start now, after all," she paused for dramatic effect. "You did say you wanted to become strong, correct?"

Somehow, Naruko figured she would sincerely regret those words.

Turns out, the gorgeous, kind, well-spirited woman was a guise for the merciless slave-driver she truly was. And Naruko, was clearly a masochist, for eagerly absorbing her barbaric training methods. With star-struck eyes, at that.

All chunin-aspirants were given a month to train up for the finals. They thought that the time they were allotted was for their benefit. Mei, however, knew that the real reason was so that the exams could be promoted all across the elemental nations, bringing in wealthy merchants, lords, and even the Daimyo to impress. It was a win-win, mostly for the Leaf. They get more contracts, _and_ lots of income generated by tourism.

However in that month, Mei had clearly outlined her expectations for the girl. She was to completely scrap the pathetic excuse for a taijutsu style, and learn Mei's personal style, the Crashing Palm. Then, she was to gain proficiency in ninjutsu, and if she was deemed fit, Mei would supervise her elemental affinity training.

Mei's hidden objectives, however, differed considerably. She was trying to get the girl to trust her, confide in her, and ultimately be more comfortable around her, physically and otherwise. The way she tensed when Mei touched her in a way that didn't involve sparring was, in her mind, despicable. She nearly started to _hate_ the Leaf for what they did to the young girl.

Trying to force the girl out of her counter-intuitive taijutsu style was surprisingly difficult. She had protested at first, arguing that if it was good enough for the rest of her classmates, it should have been good for her as well. Mei's temper rose quickly when the girl tried to blame herself, and consequently tried to explain as calmly as she could, that that the Uzumaki's learning had been sabotaged and she was living a lie.

 _That_ was a hard pill to swallow. Mei regretted it slightly, but ultimately rationalized that breaking the girls naive, blind faith in her village would only hinder her. Frequently, she thought Naruko was too humble for her own good. She barely said a word during the first two days, while Mei implanted the basics of the Crashing Palm into her. This was not too out of the ordinary, as the blonde spoke very little anyways, but Mei still missed hearing the younger girl's voice. When the girl _did_ choose to speak...she sounded more or less depressed.

"Why me?" she murmured out of the blue, when she was supposed to be resting. Naruko was staring at her rather intently, while toying with a lock of hair. Sometimes, Mei thought, she should ban her from doing unintentionally adorable things in her company.

"Why what?"

"Why did you choose to help me? Hell, even my fucking teammate, _Sakura_ , would be better than me." Naruko asked while stuffing the bridge of her nose into her hands. It was a nervous tick she picked up somewhere along the way.

That was another thing she learned about Naruko. The girl had _quite_ an arsenal of _very_ unladylike language. The first time she swore in Mei's presence was when the woman was sparring, and punched her in the stomach. The result was a loud thump, a miffed Uzumaki, and a string of curses that could make a sailor blush. Mei's apology was brushed off by the winded Uzumaki. Still, it was quite amusing to hear such colorful language coming out of such a seemingly innocent girl.

She supposed it was a good thing, that Naruko felt less need to keep some sort of facade with her teacher.

"Sakura? You mean the pink haired girl, who's fight ended in a double-knockout?" Mei asked with an incredulous expression. "What if I told you I had a weakness for blondes?" the woman asked, as she sat next to the Uzumaki. For conversation's sake. Completely unrelated to the fact that she always turned the girl into a sputtering mess when she was nearby.

No, that would be silly.

And Mei was above such childish behaviour.

"You're lying." Naruko replied, flushing. Mei smiled. Exactly the reaction she was looking for. It was too easy.

"Well, maybe not entirely. I _do_ love these golden locks." She ran her fingers through Naruko's hair. "Besides, what makes you think she's capable of handling my training?"

"Well. She's really smart?" Mei narrowed her eyes at her. "I don't know. Everyone says I'm...not very bright." She admitted, with that _damned_ look on her face.

Mei wanted to scream. She wanted to find every person in the damn village, who belittled the poor girl next to her, and she wanted to _melt them._

However, instead of that _rather_ attractive option, she settled for playing with Naruko's hair, doing her best to ignore the girls sweatiness.

Inwardly, Mei had a debate. She could either tell Naruko the truth now, and build their relationship on honesty, in contrast to the half-truths and manipulations the world of shinobi was so famous for. That, or she could choose to omit several details, or outright lie to the girl, and keep her past a secret. Both options were scary. The blonde might reject her if she knew the truth. As for lying? The truth never stayed hidden for long, especially with shinobi in the mix.

She sighed. At the least, it would prove interesting.

"I won't lie to you, Naruko. You remind me of someone from my past." The girl frowned.

"I killed her." Naruko's eyes widened. Whatever she had expected...was not this. She couldn't picture the kind lady as a killer. Not like the sand shinobi. Not like most shinobi, she added.

After a long pause, Mei continued her story.

"The moment I plunged a knife in her heart she…" Mei's voice broke off, trying to maintain her composure.

"She smiled at me. She smiled at me, and told me it was okay. That no one would miss her anyways. That I shouldn't worry." a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Not a day went by when I didn't hate myself for what I did. Not a day went by that I didn't beg for her forgiveness. I should have seen the loneliness in her heart. I should have seen the sadness she carried. Most of all, I should have been human enough to not kill such a beautiful soul, for some _fucking_ exam." Mei spat out the curse bitterly.

"I tried and tried again, to find some way to redeem myself." tear drops rolled down the woman's face. It made Naruko regret ever bringing the subject up, and she vowed never to make her cry.

"And then I found you. I saw the same despair in your eyes. And I hated that. She was such a sweet girl. And so are you." Mei stared into Naruko's eyes, with her hand gently placed on her cheek.

"I never want you to feel alone again, Naruko."

The personal story, coupled with the sheer angst the woman was radiating, broke through Naruko's shyness, and she crushed the woman into her chest, hugging her as tightly as she could. Mei eagerly returned the hug.

"I promise I'll never leave you." The woman whispered into Naruko's hair, grasping the back of her head.

Though, Naruko thought, it sounded much like a plea.

Mei broke the embrace, her natural, serene state almost being completely restored. That was slightly unnerving to Naruko. But oddly enough, she found it fitting for the wondrous lady.

"I think we're done for the day, Naruko. I'm sure you could go on, but I don't think I'm in the condition to teach." The Uzumaki quickly nodded in understanding.

"If there's anything you need from me I'll-...I'll do my best to help." Naruko offered.

"Oh, that's quite alright." Mei smiled at her. "Although, there is one thing I meant to ask." Naruko shot up to attention.

"Are you a jinchuriki, Naruko?"

And then it was Naruko's turn to freak out.

Her blood ran cold. Sheer panic engulfed her mind. Before she knew it, her brain went into autopilot, and she was breaking into a sprint, out of the training grounds, and far, _far_ away from Mei.

Or at least, she would have, if it weren't for the iron-grip on her arm.

"Stay with me."

Naruko paused. Mei had been upfront and honest with the ugly parts of her past. What kind of person would she be, if she didn't do the same? That, or she could run away, ignore Mei, and shut herself off from anyone forever. An attractive choice, she thought. Ultimately, her own inner-morality won out.

"...Yes." she was sitting next to the azure-clad woman again, though she was considerably more guarded.

"I see." Mei stated calmly. She could see the girl before her freak out. "I must confess, however, I already knew that you possessed the Kyuubi." she paused, observing Naruko's surprised expression.

"I was just wondering whether you were ready to trust me or not." Guilt crossed the blonde's face. "It is, after all, a two-way street."

"...I'm sorry, Mei."

"Nonsense. I'm proud of you for even having admitted it." Even though you tried to run away, she finished in her mind.

"I didn't want you to hate me, like everyone else. You're the first person to...care about me and...I guess I wanted to keep you in the dark for as long as possible, so that when you found out, I'd have some fond memories to look back at. I wanted to keep you. Sorry for being so selfish." every word was spoken barely above a whisper.

That's when Mei realized the full extent of the damage that had been done. She felt like she had to _apologize_ for being happy. And it tugged on her heartstrings, more than she would have expected.

' _How could anyone do this to a young girl like her_?'

"Look at me Naruko." That was another habit that ticked Mei off. Naruko was _never_ able to look into her eyes. And when she did, she always looked ashamed of herself. "Don't _ever_ apologize for wanting someone to care about you."

Naruko simply nodded.

"Now, I believe it's getting dark, and we should both be getting some rest. Have a good night, Naruko." the auburn haired woman said, before planting a kiss on her cheek.

It wasn't a short, light, chaste kiss. The imprint of Mei's lips were pressed against her cheek firmly, while the blonde's brain struggled to cope.

Mei turned to leave, with a soft, genuine smile.

"Don't forget to be here tomorrow!"

Naruko stared dumbly.

As if she would.

Three weeks had passed since Naruko and Mei had come clean with one another, and Naruko had flourished. Mei had yet to find something to teach the blonde that was _too_ challenging. The girl was an absolute prodigy, with an iron-will. Mei had taught her the basics of the Crashing Palm, and then raised her to proficiency. She then forced her into many fairly insane scenarios to help the girl control her boundless pools of chakra.

When Naruko approached her about learning ninjutsu, Mei mentally slapped herself. She expected that the Leaf would have at least kept her ninjutsu up to base. She forgot that the Leaf was full of _idiots._ Ultimately she had started to build the young jinchuuriki's arsenal of ninjutsu, which she quickly realized was her favourite.

Mei had asked, and Naruko replied that she considered herself a failed artist, due to her career as a shinobi. So, she took to using her chakra as paint, and jutsu as canvas, in attempt to fulfill her dream. She explained why she became so reverent of Mei, after she taught her how to control her chakra. Imagine being a painter, who was using tools that actively fought against their wielder, Mei thought. She couldn't imagine the frustration the blue-eyed girl faced. But at long last, Naruko was allowed to express herself, in _possibly_ one of the deadliest ways.

And it was beautiful.

Mei had tested the girl's elemental affinity, finding a very strong water, and a rather average wind. Not unheard of for her age, but definitely not common. Despite this, the excited jinchuuriki refused to learn only the elements she was most proficient in.

Mei decided, watching the girl practice a fire jutsu, that Naruko didn't need to be taught existing jutsu. They would serve only as a limiting factor on her potential. Whereas most shinobi used jutsu in a brutally effective manner, Naruko was _very_ expressive. Sometimes, Mei had to remind herself that she was supposed to be _teaching,_ not watching in amazement her adorable student commanded lethal forces of nature with glee. Once she was shown the very basics of how to manipulate each element, she thought up a thousand applications in a fraction of a second. Mei could practically _see_ the passion the blonde exuded. The names, however...were a bit odd.

" **The Magnificent Four Tea Cups Of A Distantly Kinetic, Tidally Melancholic Celestial Entity!"**

Mei heard the blonde scream, before getting splashed by a _stupid_ amount of water. She disregarded the wetness on her skin, in favour of wondering just what the _hell_ her student was talking about. She looked at the girl, who was now...being surrounded by four spinning swirls of water, that did nothing but get anyone close to the blonde thoroughly soaked.

...a jutsu Mei was _certain_ had _absolutely_ no practical, combative application.

She bit her tongue as she was about to reprimand the laughing girl. Technically, she was supposed to be resting, as they had finished their training session, so she was under no obligation to practice...practicality.

"Mei-sensei! Look! I made you!" Naruko shouted at her teacher, pointing to…

A figure of roughly Mei's size and stature...and that's about where the similarities ended. Mei giggled.

"I think you've done _quite_ enough today dear." as to the term of endearment, she didn't even have to look to know she was blushing. That was a habit of Naruko's that she couldn't break, no matter what she tried. And honestly? She wouldn't have it any other way.

"I think I'll call it…' **The Lady Of The Stars Brings Joy In Her Right Hand, And Sorrow In Her Left.'** What do you think?" Naruko asked with a grin.

"Erm...I think that's...lovely. Very creative." She was not wrong. Naruko had strayed so far from combat-ninjutsu, it was _kind of_ amazing.

"What should I make next? Should I make a _bunch_ of water birds? Ooh! How about an earth jutsu that shifts every object two and a half inches to the right! A fire jutsu that shows all the horrific sinful thoughts the user has ever had in horrible, excruciating detail?" Naruko bounced her ideas at Mei. Said woman was...fairly receptive, mostly because she was a _little_ bit out of her depth.

"Um. Sure, maybe and- wait, _what?!_ "

"-How about a demonic hellfire orgy, or maybe-" Mei's incredulous frown deepened, as she rapidly grew more and more concerned about the mental well being of her student.

" _Naruko._ " She spoke in a more commanding, authoritative voice. It never failed to bring her favorite blonde's wayward mind back to her. Mei had noticed, that whenever she spoke to Naruko directly, she treated the woman as if she were the only thing in the world that mattered. That her _life_ depended on every breath that Mei gave to her. As a shinobi, Mei would have used that attention to manipulate her. As a woman, it made Mei feel special. As someone who genuinely cared about the blonde, and wanted her to be happy...it was concerning.

"You _are_ going to stop now. And you _are_ going to take the rest of the day off. If you try _anything_ , I will know, and I will stop teaching you before you can even _think_ about asking for a second chance." Mei addressed her as if she were a soldier.

And she _instantly_ regretted it.

Naruko lost all trace of the glee that she had, mere moments ago.

"I'm sorry, Sensei." It appeared to Mei that the girl was suddenly trying to hide inside her own shadow.

It didn't sit well with her.

Naruko was only now learning something as basic as having a friend. She didn't know where her boundaries were. Which meant that Mei had the choice of either letting her continue to develop improperly, or discipline the emotionally fragile girl. It was a slippery slope, but Mei was open to the challenge.

"Fret not my dear." She smiled, and ruffled the girl's golden locks. "Moderation is a virtue, one that we all often struggle with." Naruko gave her an awkward, forced, smile.

"So, what do you plan to do with the rest of your evening?"

"Er...I don't really know. I might just visit a ramen shop and go...home." Naruko answered honestly, but with doubt lacing her voice.

What _was_ home? Until recently, home was a prison. Suffocatingly bleak, and depressingly dreary. In books she had read, "home" described comfort, serenity, and happiness. But those words, Naruko only could associate with, as of late, the azure-clad lady, who had been the first to invest time into her. Could a _person_ be home? And if so, would _Mei_ be hers?

"Naruko?"

"I need...I need to think."

She sped off without even saying goodbye.

It was a week before the final exams. And Mei was _furious_.

Early that morning, Naruko didn't show up to the training ground. Mei didn't think much of it, believing she had _finally_ gotten through to the girl, and she was taking a day to herself. But for some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was... _off._ She tried to justify it as a teacher's needless worry. Naruko was a strong girl, capable of handling herself. She would be fine.

Halfway through the day, Mei had enough. She began to tear through the village, looking for her blonde bundle of joy. It wasn't difficult to do, merely tedious. But her gut feeling decided it was necessary. The villagers were unnaturally tight-lipped about the jinchuuriki, which annoyed Mei to no end. The result was several wasted hours, and only a vague inclination of which apartment complex housed the Uzumaki girl. But Mei persevered.

She found a very run down building, that was more or less desolated. She wouldn't have otherwise bothered with the structure, if it weren't for the words "Demon Whore" graffitied in bright, neon letters. At that point, Mei's hatred for the Leaf solidified. With a few handsigns, Mei blew a ball of fire at the graffiti, reducing it to ash. Little did she know, the anger she felt was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Had her temper not gotten the best of her, she would have maybe knocked on her students door. Alas, fortune was not on the door's side, as it was kicked off its hinges. She intended to spend some time with Naruko, perhaps over a cup of tea.

But what she saw made her gasp in horror.

Inside the room, she saw the blonde haired girl sitting cross legged on the floor, with a panicked expression. Holding a knife to her forearm.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing?!" Mei shrieked at Naruko, who dropped the knife, and tried to scramble away. Her efforts were proven once again fruitless, courtesy of Mei's iron grip on her shoulder. She brought the girl up to her face, roughly seizing her collar. The blonde refused to make eye contact. For once, Mei didn't mind.

Naruko had nothing to say for herself. And they both knew it.

"How long?" the blonde appeared puzzled. "How long ago did you start _mutilating yourself_ in this shithole?" Mei asked in a deadly even tone.

"I...don't know."

"So it's been long enough that you don't even care anymore? You've just come to think that _this_ is perfectly acceptable?" Mei angrily gestured to the slashes on the blonde's arms.

And then, something in Naruko snapped.

"So what? It's not like anyone should give a damn about what I do! No one's given a shit about me before, and you know what? I prefer it that way! You don't get to just barge into _my_ life, bat those pretty eyes at me until I'm eating out of your palm, toy with my emotions like I'm your personal fool, and _pretend_ that you care _so much-_ "

A loud crack echoed through the room. Blood rushed to Naruko's stinging cheek, as her head was jerked to the side.

Another slap followed, and her other cheek burned.

Mei clenched her fists at her side.

"Don't you ever, _ever_ suggest that I don't care about you." Mei spoke in a hoarse whisper. "Do you understand me?"

Naruko didn't reply.

"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" The woman slammed Naruko against the wall, which rattled in response. Mei kept her pressed against the wall, with her forearm pinning her chest. She didn't plan on moving until Naruko gave an answer that satisfied her.

"...I understand" Naruko replied after what seemed like an infinity.

Mei abruptly released her.

"Pack everything you value. I'm burning this place to the ground." Mei interrupted whatever question the blonde was going to ask.

" _What?_ " the girl replied.

"I am _not_ fucking around. Now do as I say!"

Not testing the already livid woman's patience any further, Naruko collected everything she owned, which fortunately wasn't much. With a sack slung over her shoulder, she turned to Mei.

"You're not coming back here. Start moving." Mei pushed the girl towards the door frame. There was no room for argument. She kept her hand on Naruko's back to prevent her from turning around as she forcefully escorted her out of the building.

"What are you doing Mei?" Naruko asked, watching the woman wordlessly speed through handsigns.

" **Lava Flood!"** The woman yelled.

And then the kind, smiling woman became a god.

A massive torrent of lava was released from the woman's mouth, effectively turning her into an unstoppable force of destruction.

Naruko's jaw hung wide open, as she watched her mentor turn a building into little more than a large lump of black rock within minutes. It filled her with wonder, and if she were honest with herself, a little bit of fear. She had no idea that her teacher was _so_ powerful.

Mei turned to face her with her eyes closed. She let a dainty burp out in her hand, and wiped away the droplets of molten lava that had collected at the corners of her mouth. Naruko swore that there was no other being who could do the same with such grace.

" _Still_ want to ask questions, Naruko?" she asked with her eyebrow high above her brow ridge. Truth be told, she was waiting for the opportunity to showcase the depth of her abilities to Naruko. Not only did she feel the need to earn the blonde's full respect, even though it was slightly unnecessary. She primarily wanted to show off a bit, to impress the girl.

Naruko was still in too much of a stupor to respond. She didn't even notice Mei seal all her possessions in a small storage scroll.

"How...How did you do that?" She asked, staring at the still smokey remains of her apartment.

"With unparalleled rage, if you must know." The woman gritted her teeth, before softening slightly. "It's my bloodline. Well, one of them. No more questions. Follow me."

Mei roughly grabbed Naruko's arm, which was now completely healed courtesy of the mountain-sized tantruming fox in her gut. With an unyielding grip, she began pulling the blonde behind her.

"Don't even _think_ about running away." The statement needed no follow-up, for it was it's own threat. "You'll be living with me now. I don't care if I have to spend all day watching over you, I don't care if I have to watch over you while you bathe, _hell_ , I don't care if you have to sleep next to me. It's clear that I can't leave you to your own devices, like I have done so foolishly."

Naruko's cheeks burned with shame. Neither of the two spoke a word, though for different reasons. Mei was measuring her words carefully, in an effort to prevent her ire from getting the better of her. Naruko….she simply had nothing to say for herself. So they approached a large, upscale building in uncomfortable silence.

They entered the building, and sped through long, winding hallways, until they finally arrived at a large, luxurious suite. Mei opened the door and ushered her student inside.

Though fit for a king, the suite was dreadfully lacking in personal touches. The decor all matched in perfect harmony. The very essence was minimalistic. The only sign that it was being lived in, was of course the occupants.

"Is that what you've been doing everyday, when I'm not around?" Mei finally asked from her seat on a maroon sofa. Naruko stood in front of her, as if at attention. She hesitated to sit next to the woman she'd come to idolize without her express permission.

"No. It's actually been...the opposite. You gave me purpose, so I never really felt the need to...well…" Mei gestured for the girl to sit next to her. Though Naruko had made progress when it came to reacting and establishing physical contact, she was still far too skittish for the woman's liking.

"Ruin yourself?"

"...Yes. But sometimes...I just get so confused. I can't stop thinking horrible thoughts and….I don't know what else to do. I don't know what to think. I don't know what to feel." the blonde's voice was more hollow than Mei had ever heard it. She pulled the younger girl's hands into her lap, and gently clasped them.

"So you choose to feel pain, because it's the only constant you have. Your torment...is your anchor."

Naruko nodded, not looking at the woman. Silence filled the air.

Mei inhaled deeply, mentally preparing herself for the decision she was about to make. It wasn't logical at all. In fact, her rational mind was screaming ' _No. Don't do the thing.'_ at her. It could change the relationship she shared with her student forever. It could cost her dearly. Perhaps it was even morally wrong.

Mei shook those thoughts from her head as she stared into the blonde's melancholic face. No, this decision was not one that logic had and business being a part of.

In one fluid motion, she hooked her hand around Naruko's head, and pressed her lips into the blonde's.

Naruko's pupil was the size of a grain of sand. She tried to process what was occurring, but she couldn't. She thought she was dreaming, _again._ Mei was _kissing_ her. That was the only semi-coherent murmur her mind had to offer. When she felt sufficiently composed, she released all the tension she was storing in her muscles, allowing herself to completely melt away into the vastness that was Mei.

Said woman noticed the shift in her body, and mentally sighed in relief. She broke away, after what seemed like an infinity to the younger girl.

"Will you let me be your anchor, Naruko?" She asked, with her arm resting weightlessly on Naruko's shoulder.

She saw tears begin to well up in the blonde's eyes.

"Yes. I'd...I'd like that. I like that a lot." Naruko sniffled. "I don't know what home is….but when I'm around you...I feel like I'm at home. As strange as it sounds…You feel like home."

It was all Mei needed to hear. She pulled the blonde into a hug, feeling her head prop onto her shoulder. She planted another kiss against the side of Naruko's head.

"No, my dear. It's not strange at all." she whispered into the girl's ear, with a warm smile on her face.  
_

 _ **So believe it or not, I've had this chapter penned since publication 2 years ago. My reasons for not posting it are largely personal in nature. At the time I was at a rough point in my life, and while I still am, I've matured passed the angsty attitude that made itself present in my writing. So because of that, I've hesitated in posting this chapter mainly because it directly contradicts growth I've made since the time of writing. Furthermore, I still don't believe this story is reflective of my capacity as a writer.**_

 _ **But, even a month ago I saw people asking for updates, which elated me to know that people actually enjoyed this story. Therein lies my reason for finally posting this chapter that I've sat on for multiple, literal years.**_

 _ **I cannot stress this enough, it is absolutely not my intention to make light of self harm, I've had my own history with it and I can proudly say I've overcome my propensity towards it. Not to be preachy, but if you're struggling with similar issues, please get help, even if it's just from a good friend, family, or someone you trust.**_

 _ **So honestly, let me know what y'all think? I'm really not sure whether to continue this story. Any feedback and criticisms would be welcome.**_


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